tarbox



3 Sheets -Sheet 1.

G W TARBOX Railway-Switches. vNo. 224,054.

Patented Feb. 3 ,1880.

N PETERS, PMOTO-UYHDGRAPHER, WASHINGrbN u. C.

3 Sheets8heet 2.

G W. TARBOX Railway-Switches. No. 224,054.

Patented Feb. 3,1880.

\/v| ESSES MPETERS. PHOTOUTHDGRAPNER. WASHINGTON, DC.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

C W TARBOX Railway-Switches. No. 224,054. Patented Feb. 3, I880.

\/\/IT ESSESI V N. PEIERS, PHOTO L INOGRAPHE UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

CHARLES W. TARBOX, OF NEW YORK, Y.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 224,054, datedFebruaryB, 1880,

Application filed July 15, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that .1, CHARLES W. TARBOX, of New York city, in the countyand State of NewYork,have invented certain new and useful Improvementsrelating to Railway-Switches; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full and exact description thereof.

According to this invention the switchpoints are raised and lowered intoand out of position by means of sliding filling-pieces formed withinclined and flat surfaces, which filling-pieces are operated either byhand devices of a particular construction, hereinafter more fully setforth, or by automatic mechanism under the control of the engineer ofthe train, which mechanism is adapted to operate the switch at will,when required, unaffected by the condition of the hand mechanism. Thevertically-moving switch-points are located relatively to the rails ofthe main and side tracks so that the treads of the wheels in passingover them are always partly supported by the rails,which are themselvesstationary. The filling-pieces which move the switchpoints are connectedby a transverse lever, which is itself connected with auxiliary frogsfor automatic operation.

The following is a description of what 1 consider thebest means ofcarrying out the inven tion.

The accompanying drawings form part of this specification. a

Figure 1 represents a plan View, partly in section, of part of arailroad-track with my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2, a side viewof the same, also partly in section; Fig. 3, a detached view of suitablemeans for operating my improved switches by hand. Fig. 4: is anunder-side view of a truck with the shiftingwheel applied for thepurpose of operating the switches automatically. A similar truck isshown in side view in Fig. 2.

In each of the views similar letters of reference indicate correspondingparts wherever they occur.

A A represent the rails of the main track of a line of railroad, and B Bportions of the rails The switch-points c 0 work in bearings c c in theunder side of the switches G C, and are provided with projections 0 flaton thebottom, and having on one side an incline or cam surface, theportion 0 between the projections being preferably flat or straight. Theinclined sides or cam-surfaces are adapted to engage with similarsurfaces on one side of the projections 0 with flat tops. Theseprojections are on the upper surface of sliding filling-pieces 0 workingon bearings 0 and. controlled to move to and fro by means of a doublelever, mounted on a center, 0". The double lever G is, by means of apair of connecting-rods, c 0 attached one on each side of the center 0connected to lever-arms c 0 mounted on one end of the rock-shafts 0 0which, at their opposite ends, are provided with arms c, to which arepivoted vertical rods 0 the upper ends of which are slotted at 0 andengage with the auxiliary frogs O 0 which work vertically in bearings a"in the under side of the switches O O.

D is a transverse lever mounted on a pivot, cl, carried by a standard,D, affixed to any suitable foundation in the pit E, formed .beneath thetrack. This lever D serves to insure the simultaneous action in oppositedirections of the points 0 c, and is simply necessary as a precaution inthe event of either of the points 0 or a sticking, owing to dirt gettinginto the bearings, or on account of snow or ice in winter weather.

ff are another pair of levers, one end of each of which is connected tothe opposite arm of the double lever 0 while their other ends areconnected to one arm, 9, of the L-levers G G, which are pivoted on anaxis, 9. The opposite arms g of the L-levers G G are connected with theslotted levers g working on a pin carried by the auxiliary frogs H H,which work vertically in bearings h h in a suitable sidewise on the axleI by "means of a cranklever, 1", provided with a suitable handle, 1 anda pivoted lever, 6 By moving the handle I to the right or left theshifting-wheel I will be brought into position to depress either of theauxiliary frogs H or H, and consequently place the points 0 c in thedesired position, as hereinafter more fully explained.

K K are guard-rails, of the ordinary construction. L is a hand-wheelmounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft, 1, capable of partialrevolution in any suitable bearings by the side of the track or otherconvenient position. Upon the shaft l is mounted rigidly a forked lever,L, the arms 1 l of which are turned down or provided with. verticalprojections l adapted alternately to engage with a leverarm, M, one Blldof which is mounted freely on the shaft 1, while its opposite end playsin a slot or recess, 1, in one of the sliding fillin g-pieces C Theobject of this construction of the lever L is to enable the points 0 cto be operated by hand when desired, by turning the wheel L in one orthe other direction, or to leave the same free to be operated only bythe auxiliary frogs. l esteem it very important that the rails propershould be stationary and the switchpoints, which are independent,movable in ten tica-l planes, and that the rails-one of the main and oneof the side track-between which and j the continuous rails the pointsrise and fall should be so projected forward that the wheel,

in passing over the points, will be partly supported by one or the otherof the fixed rails,

the tread of the wheel lapping the space between them.

As shown in the drawings, the rails are so placed together and theswitch-points so proportioned that in passing the wheels of the cal arenever entirely unsupported by the station- The points serve, therefore,mainly 1 as directing means for determining the course T ary rails.

of the train. The movement in vertical planes by the direct action ofthe wedges renders the switch-points much less liable to clog than inany other construction of which I am aware.

are not required for use it is locked in a central position, as shown byFig. 3, by means ofa locking-lever, N, which may be secured by a bolt,m, and a padlock or other suitable retaining and securing means.

The operation of my improved device is as follows: Supposing a train tobe passing along the main line A in the direction of the arrows 1jections c to raise the sliding points.

H is depressed, the switch-point c is lowered, andthe swi-tch-pointcraised, theauxiliary frog H and the frog 0 will be raised and theauxiliary frog 0 lowered, and the parts will remain in this positionuntil either the auxiliary frog H is depressed by the action of theshifting-wheel I of another train passing in the direction of the arrow1 in Figs. 1 and 2, whenthe switch-point 0 will be raised, the point alowered, the auxiliary frogs H and O raised, and the auxiliary frog- 0lowered, thereby leaving the main line'A clear.

Supposing a train to be approaching the switches O O on the main line Ain the direction of the arrow 3, Figs. 1 and 2, with the parts in theposition shown in the drawings, with the auxiliary frog O elevated,immediately the front wheel touches the frog 0 it will depress it andraise the switch -point 0, lower the switch-point c, raise the auxiliaryfrogs and H, and lower the auxiliary frog H, thereby clearing the mainline, and so on.

The switch-points c c are raised and lowered by means of the slidingfilling-pieces C The inclined or cam surfaces of the projections c acton the inclined cam-surfaces on the pro- After the points are raised thefiat surfaces of the projections are in contact, so that theswitchpoints have a solid fiat support which will not be moved by theweight of the train. contact-surfaces also permit more or less motion tothe sliding filling-pieces without altering the position of the points.

When the switch-point cor cis up, the projections c 0 rest upon theprojections 0 of the sliding filling-piecesG but when it is down theprojections 0 rest in the recesses 0 thereby bringing the parts closetogether.

The switch-points c 0 are formed with inclined grooves 0*, in order thatin the event of the points 0 c sticking at any time, owing to anyaccident to the machine or clogging of the same by reason of snow, ice,or other cause, the flanges of the wheels may be held therein and thetrain prevented from leaving the track while jumping the switch-pointfor the time in the way. When the wheelL and its connecting-levers Itwill be observed from the above descri tion that the hand mechanism foroperating the switch is so constructed that the mechanism for operatingit from the engine is entirely independent thereof, and may be employedwhatever the condition of said hand operating mechanism.

Modifications of my device maybe readily made by anycompetent mechanicwithin wide limits 5 and by the employment of suitable levers oroperating means, in connection with the sliding filling-pieces C orother suitable parts of the mechanism controlled by the auxiliary frogs,Ican work or operate a signal or signals to indicate to an approachingtrain the position of the switch-points c c.

The form and construction of the auxiliary frogs may also be varied.

Although I have particularly described this The fiat device as appliedto the tracks of steam-railroads, it is equally applicable to streetorptlier railroads. t

In place of employing a shifting-wheel, I, mounted on a sleeve, 2',carried on one of the axles of an engine or car, the said wheel may beotherwise applied, or other equivalent means may be employed in itsstead-as, for instance, an inclined shoe or skid suitably supported, soas to be placed in the position desired.

-1 claim as my invention 1. In combination with the hand operatingmechanism composed of the lever M, the forked lever L, provided withprojections Z and devices for moving said forked lever, as shown, thevertically-moving points ,0 c and the slidin g fillin g-pieces 0substantially as described.

2. In combination with a hand operating-1e ver and connections therefromto the switch, which are adapted to operate the switch at will whenrequired, and to leave itfree to be shifted by other mechanism withoutdisturbing the hand-lever, the points a c, filling-pieces C andtransverse connecting-lever, arranged for joint operation as specified.

3. The stationary rails of the main track A and bran ch lineB, andvertically-movin g points 0 c, relatively arranged and proportioned asshown, sothat in passing over said points the wheels of the train arealwayspartly supported by the stationary rails, in combination withsliding filling-pieces 0 formed with inclined and flat surfaces, asset-forth, and automatic operating mechanism, when controlled by theengineer on the train, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of July,1878, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES TARBOX.

Witnesses:

W. COLBORNE BROOKES, CHAS. O. S'rETsoN.

